Human-wildlife conflicts are increasing as population growth, habitat conversion, and climate change accelerate challenges for species that interface with urban and rural communities. In the Gunnison Valley, like many areas throughout the west, such conflicts are increasing between black bears and city residents. Black bears are adaptable mammals and exhibit different behaviors in response to selective pressures (e.g., temperature and precipitation changes, food availability, access to water, etc.). For example, warmer temperatures in early spring cause black bears to emerge from hibernation sooner when their traditional sources of food may be scarce. To help the City of Gunnison coexist with black bears, I did three things for my master’s project: 1) I gathered existing Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) black bear conflict data looking for conflicts within the City of Gunnison and gathered regional harvest data and compiled, mapped, and analyzed these data to determine conflict hotspots and possible correlation of conflict with temperature and precipitation, and human use of the landscape; 2) I reviewed existing climate models for the Gunnison region and identified predicted changes of abiotic and biotic factors associated with black bear foraging needs and hibernation behaviors; 3) Using the information that I gathered and analyzed, I consulted with individuals from the City of Gunnison, the citizens of the region, and CPW to create a human-black bear conflict management plan designed to reduce local human-black bear conflict with varying levels of implementation strategies.
